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Ganges
{{Geobox
|River
<!-- *** Name section *** -->
|name            = Ganges
<!-- *** Map section *** -->
|map             = GangesValley&Plain.jpg
|map_caption         = A map showing the course of the Ganges and its tributaries
<!-- General section *** -->
|country           = India
|country1          = Bangladesh
|state            = Uttarakhand
|state1           = Uttar Pradesh
|state2           = Bihar
|state3           = Jharkhand
|state4           = West Bengal
|city            = Haridwar
|city1            = Kanpur
|city2            = Allahabad
|city3            = Varanasi
|city4            = Ghazipur
|city5            = Patna
|city6            = Kolkata
|length           = 252510
|length_imperial       = 15760
|watershed          = 907000
|watershed_imperial     = 354300
|discharge_location     = mouth
|discharge_average      = 12015
|discharge_average_imperial =
|discharge_max_month     =
|discharge_max        =
(contracted; show full)
Near the border with Bangladesh the Farakka Barrage controls the flow of the Ganges by diverting some of the water into a feeder canal which has link with the Hooghly river to keep it relatively silt-free.

==Pollution of Ganges==
There is a lot of [[pollution]] in the Ganges because everyone releases their waste into the Ganges.
 This causes a lot of sicknesses like [[cholera]], [[hepatitis]], [[typhoid]] and amoebic dysentery. The presence of coliform bacteria in the waters has increased well above normal. This is a major cause of water pollution. These diseases cause about a third of the deaths in [[India]] every year. That is why the government has started a multi-crore project called the Ganga Action Plan (GAP).

==History==
During the early [[Vedic Age]], the [[Indus]] and the [[Sarasvati River]] were the major rivers of the Indian subcontinent, not the Ganges. But the later three Vedas seem to give much more importance to the Ganges, as shown by its numerous references.
Possibly the first European Traveler to mention the Ganges was [[Megasthenes]] (ca. 350 – 290 BCE). In Rome's [[Piazza Navona]], ''[[Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi]]'' (fountain of the four rivers) was designed by [[Gian Lorenzo Bernini]] and built in 1651. Th art-work symbolizes four of the world's great rivers (the Ganges, the [[Nile]], the [[Danube]], and the [[Río de la Plata]]), which is to represent the four continents (Australia and Antarctica were unknown then).

==Religious Significance==
===In Hinduism===
Hindus regard the Ganges as not only a river but also a mother, a goddess, a tradition, a culture and much more. In [[Hinduism]] it is considered holy to take a [[pilgrimage]] to the Ganges and take a dip. This leads to more illness, adding to the death toll. Many Hindus believe that bathing in the Ganga can purify a person's soul of all past sins, some believe that it can also cure the illness. So, many Hindu families keep Ganga water in their homes as they consider it to be very pure. The holy towns like Haridwar, Allahabad, Kanpur and Varanasi attract thousands of pilgrims. Thousands of Hindu pilgrims arrive at these towns to bathe in the Ganges.
[[File:Gaumukh Gangotri glacier.jpg|300px|thumb|A small shrine at Gomukh, Gangotri glacier]]

(contracted; show full){{Commonscat|Ganges River}}

[[Category:Rivers of India]]
[[Category:Rivers of Bangladesh]]

{{Link FA|hi}}
{{Link FA|uk}}
{{Link GA|uk}}